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Why we are seeing blue tongues in dressage arenas – and what needs to be done about it
In her next H&H subscriber-exclusive investigation into issues affecting horse sport today, Pippa Cuckson explains what we currently know about blue tongues in dressage horses – and what we need to find out
It is generally assumed that “blue tongues” (aka cyanosis) seen in dressage horses result from restricted oxygen supply, variously caused by harsh use of the double bridle, with and without rollkur, and tight nosebands.
Denmark-based Julie Taylor, founder of equine welfare channel Epona.Tv, broke the first “blue tongue story” in 2009, involving Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Scandic. She had been seeking out instances of hyperflexion and captured Scandic’s alleged blue tongue on video “only because it was hanging out.” She told H&H: “We had heard of tongues going blue but never seen it, but as soon as we reviewed the footage, we knew what that was.”
The video went viral. In the UK alone, discussion on its members’ forum crashed the British Dressage website. Mainstream press such as The Guardian wrote about it. Patrik Kittel emphatically denied breaching the FEI code of conduct; the FEI eventually ruled his riding was not “excessive” though did issue a warning .
Julie did not expect blue tongues to still be unaddressed over a decade later. More alleged blue tongue examples are available now than then thanks to advances in high resolution still photography.
Blue tongue photographs
Julie’s Norwegian collaborator, professional photographer Crispin Parelius Johanessen, devotes his spare time to looking for examples at major shows. This also means being accused of photoshopping by some, which Crispin vehemently denies, supported by the Scandanavian newspaper Aftonbladet.
The FEI’s chief vet Dr Goran Akerstrom revealed (in an unofficial media briefing during the Olympic Games) that he commissioned his own photography at Paris in search of blue tongues. He found enough to “warn” several riders. He also made a connection between double bridles and blue tongues in an interview with Reuters.
However, he has also pointed out the difficulty for judges in noticing discoloration at long distance. Another barrier to detection is that tongue pinkness is likely to be quickly restored when the horse leaves the arena in walk on a long rein, meaning there is nothing amiss at the post-ride stewards check.
During the recent IDTC/IDRC media briefing, stakeholders surprisingly professed no knowledge of the Paris blue tongues. But Olympic accredited photographer Kim Lundin said she saw some blue tongues with the naked eye, and found “many” more when she enlarged her high resolution images later. She recognised that judges might not necessarily have seen them, and noted that if FEI dressage does not recognise blue tongues as a form of abuse, then logically no-one will look for it or penalise it.
This same logic goes some way to explaining why FEI dressage issues considerably fewer field of play sanctions than other disciplines, and can give the impression of experiencing less abuse than other horse sports. FEI eventing, for instance, regards some instances of blood on the horse as abuse and issues yellow cards – whereas in dressage blood means elimination but nothing on your disciplinary record. The FEI has reiterated several times that the different horse sports are best placed to decide for themselves how to sanction for welfare matters.
Research on blue tongues in horses
One big difference between hyperflexion and blue tongues is research. There is zero known scientific or evidence-based research about equine tongue cyanosis. A group of British researchers has funding, is waiting for Home Office approval and hopes to announce such a project in the New Year.
In August 2024, the extent of the knowledge vacuum was set out by British equine scientist Dr David Marlin on Facebook. His long list of questions provoked debate but no corroborable conclusions.
He asked, among many other things, if blue tongues result from restricted blood flow, if so where, of what type (possibly the “shunting” of blood flow – a normal physiological process) and if it’s painful. Are some horses more prone than others, and is it more prevalent in some disciplines? What role is played by the bit, the size and shape of the horse’s oral cavity; the head and neck position; rein tension; noseband type, position and tightness. How quickly does cyanosis come – and go – does it cause nerve damage or soft tissue abnormalities; do wild horses or non-exercised horses get it; how can it actually be measured; and is photography reliable.
David told H&H: “I think it’s hard to penalise riders harshly when we don’t even know how or why it occurs.
“Why did we never see it before? Were we just not looking – I’ve spoken to other professionals and, even in the past year with increased awareness, few have seen this at all or even more than once.
“I’m still of the opinion that proper independent research needs to be done. Not a crusade by people who want to crucify riders for having a horse with a blue tongue.”
“Organs turning blue is never a good thing”
Oral cavity expert Dr Mette Uldahl is one of the researchers involved in a newly commissioned FEI study, related to her other recent work on mouth ulcers and lesions.
Dr Uldahl is concurrently independently researching blue tongues and has already presented preliminary findings to stakeholders. “I knew it would be relatively easy for me to look into some of my existing data sets and create a couple of new ones to put a research perspective on the [blue tongue] phenomenon,” she said.
For a long time she had resisted, feeling it should be obvious to anyone with medical or veterinary knowledge that “organs turning blue is never a good thing”. Another caveat was that research might feed into the “mind games” in elite sport where riders, trainers and others ask for research, then question it, or state it is not sufficient to justify change. “This is in contrast to using the precautionary principle, where practices questionable towards the welfare of the horse are sought to be solved or discontinued immediately,” she adds.
“Photoshopped” blue tongues on horses
How easy is it to “photoshop” a blue tongue? The plethora of blue tongue photos on social media have garnered a few unproven allegations of manipulation.
“There is a possibility that a minority of images posted on social media have been altered in this way. It’s also possible that the colour of a tongue might be inadvertently altered by the use of filters common on phone apps,” said Jon Stroud, photographer’s representative for the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists.
Jon said that respected media and top photographic agencies, such as Getty, work ethically; manipulation is prohibited in Getty’s terms of use. “If those professionals are capturing images displaying ‘blue tongues’ or any forms of abuse, then it is probably worth listening to what they have to say.
“Professionals shoot in a format called RAW. It’s like a negative – exactly what the camera sensor captures – and is not adjusted in any way whatsoever. We keep those RAW images. They can always be used as evidence as to whether a horse has or has not displayed a blue tongue.”
Government action
As time went by, Julie Taylor wondered if governments could be persuaded to intervene. Hyperflexion and blue tongues are both hot topics in Denmark, where dressage and warmblood breeding is big business, tarnished by abuse allegations against past Olympic team dressage members Andreas Helgstrand and Carina Cassøe Krüth, who are both currently suspended.
Indeed, after a conference in Copenhagen (18 November) the Animal Ethics Council, advisory arm of the Danish Ministry of Agriculture, decided the FEI was not acting fast enough on welfare matters. It is now recommending the Danish government to protect sport horses by law.
Julie helped them with research. “I’ve also been feeding stories to news journalists in Denmark and abroad to raise awareness among the general public that there are problems which can’t be fixed by the industry,” she told H&H. “The purpose was to pave the way for any Danish or EU politicians who might want to do something about animal abuse in horse sport. And now it looks as if they will.”
● What are your thoughts on concerns related to blue tongues being seen in sport horses? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine
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